Beric Swann
History Beric was born in 247 AC to Lord Robert Swann and his wife, Lady Alyane (formerly of House Osgrey) in the ancestral keep of Stonehelm on the coast of the Stormlands. He was the oldest of the four Swann children, with three sisters following him. Growing up, Beric showed excellent martial prowess and physical fortitude, which manifested in a stubborn will. Through sheer want, the boy grew up taking hits and giving them right back. Due to the martial nature of his home, Beric wanted nothing more than to be a heroic knight, to go off to war and bring glory to his House and King. To that end, he forcibly trained much harder than the other boys did at his age and forwent the use of the typical bastard sword that Stonehelm men used, instead choosing the longsword. In training, Beric quickly discovered he had good use of both his hands, not simply his right, in battle. He did not show his secret often, but it would come to good use later in his life. Beric’s stubbornness found a counter, however, with his witty and sarcastic personality. As a young man of ten-and-four in 261 AC, Lord Robert sent his son to Skull Valley to be a squire for Lord Criston. During his time there, he found a lifelong friend in the future Lord Lyn Lonmouth, as well as met the woman who would later become his wife, Marya. Beric fell in love at first sight with Marya, though between smiles in the halls of Skull Valley and encounters during meals, she did not reciprocate for some time. From 261 to 266 AC, Beric trained day after day with Lyn and by night had fleeting rendezvous with Lady Marya, who by the time he left for Stonehelm admitted her desire to marry him one day. A desire they fulfilled in 270 AC, just before Durran’s Defiance broke out and the couple was blessed with twins later that year. Durran's Defiance In 270 AC, at the age of twenty-and-three, Beric Swann led his House’s forces alongside his father in service to the Blackfyre rebels at Hag’s Mire. Lord Aemond’s trap for the Ironborn played out well, and in the ensuing battle that ended in an Ironborn retreat, Beric Swann fought ferociously. Claiming several kills during the battle, the achievement that earned him a knighthood from Aemond Blackfyre was a long duel against Rodrik Tawney that ended in the Ironborn’s brutal death as Beric slew the large Ironborn with his own weapon in his left hand, a testament to his ability. Being the young Swann heir’s first real taste of war, the things he did and saw had a palpable effect on him. The man who had so eagerly marched off to war to win fame and glory had found a taste of it, but the rewards came with a heavy price that slowly eroded his personality over the years. The Island of Serpents Later on in 276 AC, Beric and his father once again served the Blackfyres faithfully in war, lending their fleet and men to the cause that became known as the Duel of the Dragons. By that time, Beric had become acquainted with Ser Arthur Osgrey, who would save his life during the skirmishing upon the Island of Serpents. The Stepstones’ wet and glaring hot climate was miserable for both sides, who ended up slaughtering each other in ridiculous numbers upon the sloshing sands. It was during the fighting that Beric witnessed the death of his father, felled by one of the Targaryen captains. The now-Lord Swann fought bravely over his father’s corpse until he himself sustained grave injuries, when he was saved by Ser Arthur. The fighting did not end quickly, either. For months, both sides hit back at each other over land and sea in what Beric later described as “A fucking waste of life.” Lord Swann's martial ability and honor was highly praised upon the return to Westeros, but the compliments did not sit well with him. Beric doubted his faith in the Crown and himself, but it would not last. Over the next four years, Beric remained completely faithful to the Crown and his liege lord in Storm's End. A Different Man Upon returning to his home as the new Lord Swann, Beric found himself a different man. The once sarcastic and witty knight felt aged beyond his years. A stoic smile and calculating gaze coupled with numerous scars replaced the soft look of his youth. Memories and ghosts of his experiences in battle haunted Lord Swann in the halls of Stonehelm, and he soon took to drinking to ease the assault on his mind. Marya tried her best to reach out to her husband, to help ease the pain that seemed to be consuming him. Beric attempted several times over the years to stop his drinking, but it never worked. He never once struck his wife or children, but the guilt of his own actions kept his cycle of self-destruction going, albeit slowly. Beric did his best to stay busy; whether with his the twins Genna and Steffon, running his hold, or spoiling Marya. By 281, Steffon had reached the age Beric was when he was sent to Skull Valley, and decided it was time for his son to follow the tradition. After the Broad Arch affair in which Ser Arthur Osgrey of the Kingsguard returned to his homelands for a time and recently lost his squire, Lord Beric had the idea to offer his son the chance to learn from one of the best friends and swordsmen the Seven Kingdoms had ever seen. Beric packed his family up, and they made the journey to King’s Landing. Category:House Swann Category:Stormlander